Federal court judge

If the Supreme Court’s remaining conservative justices vote to strike down the ACA this time around, it could be the end of Obamacare. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images Obamacare narrowly survived its first time before the U.S. Supreme Court. If the Federal Appellate Court in Texas upholds a district court judge’s decision, one of the few remaining achievements of Barak Obama’s presidency not yet undone by President Donald Trump, the Affordable Care Act will likely become a footnote in history when the United States Supreme Court hears the matter.Supreme Court review became possible when a federal judge in Texas recently struck down the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) after concluding that its individual mandate is unconstitutional. The Republican governors and attorneys general of several states filed the suit after Congress eliminated the financial penalty for failing to obtain health coverage.Subscribe to Observer’s Politics NewsletterACA Survived First … [Read more...] about A Federal Court Judge May Erase Obamacare and Obama’s Legacy

Norman Lear wrote a politically-driven op-ed imploring Americans not to be fooled by right-wing rhetoric. (AP) Famed sitcom creator Norman Lear penned an explosive op-ed calling on Americans to reject President Trump’s federal court picks and to rethink what they’re hearing from right-leaning political pundits. Lear, 96, penned the article in The Hollywood Reporter in conjunction with People for the American Way senior fellow Peter Montgomery in an effort to implore liberals and conservatives alike to take what he perceives to be a threat to the First Amendment, seriously. “It’s bad enough that the Religious Right has spent decades claiming ownership over faith, family and freedom. But now we have to watch conservative preachers and political activists wrap themselves in the First Amendment and the Constitution that their beloved President Trump takes a dump on every day,” the op-ed begins. “To our fellow liberals and progressives, and to … [Read more...] about Norman Lear pens op-ed calling on Americans to reject Trump’s federal court judges, political rhetoric

A federal court judge said he will decide Thursday whether he has the authority to review U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement decisions that target undocumented immigrants for detention and deportation following interviews at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices. The practice of arresting and detaining undocumented people as they attend marriage verification interviews is at the center of the ACLU Massachusetts' case against the Department of Homeland Security. The ACLU Massachusetts is asking Judge Mark Wolf to halt the practice, which they say unfairly traps and targets people trying to follow the legal path to citizenship provided for them by the government. On Monday Wolf heard arguments from the government that the decisions to arrest and deport Lilian Calderon, of Providence, and Lucimar de Souza, of Massachusetts, and the others being represented by the ACLU fell squarely on ICE alone. Mary Larakers, a lawyer for the U.S. Department of Justice, told the judge … [Read more...] about A federal court judge will decide if he has authority to review ICE decisions at hearing Thursday

close Video Trump calls Supreme Court decision 'a tremendous victory' President Trump praises the Supreme Court's decision on his travel ban; chief White House correspondent John Roberts reports from Washington. The Supreme Court decision Tuesday upholding President Trump’s “travel ban” also sent a subtle but clear message to lower federal court judges – don’t get too big for your britches. This was reinforced by Justice Clarence Thomas's warning to judges who attempt to set national policy by issuing overly broad orders. The 17-month legal battle over the "travel ban" ended Tuesday with a 5-4 victory for the president in the Supreme Court and a setback for those who have tried to portray the president's immigration policies as discriminatory. Ruling in Trump v. Hawaii, the high court upheld the travel ban in its entirety, reversing lower courts that had seemed to join the Trump Resistance. President Trump's travel ban, aimed at countries … [Read more...] about Supreme Court’s travel ban decision sends an incredible (and clear) message to lower federal court judges

HAMMOND — Attorneys for indicted Portage Mayor James Snyder say despite the federal government issuing 120 subpoenas, having investigated every aspect of his life and "aggressive employment" of wired surveillance, they still aren't answering questions crucial to his defense.Late Monday, Jackie M. Bennett Jr., of Indianapolis, filed yet another motion in the public corruption case.The motion asks the U.S. District Court here to compel prosecutors to turn over information Bennett requested from the assistant district attorney in an April 12 letter regarding the government's review process of Snyder's emails.Snyder's response is the latest filing in the battle between Snyder's defense team and the U.S. attorney's office over whether two to three dozen emails seized by the government during the investigation are covered by attorney/client privilege. Snyder has claimed the emails they consider deal with work product and/or legal strategy slipped through the prosecution's review … [Read more...] about Indicted Portage mayor responds in latest volley of briefs in federal court